Plastic bottles have been criticized for the waste they generate once they have reached the end of their useful life. For this reason, much effort has been made with the intention of limiting the amount of waste generated by plastic bottles. Recycling is one way to reduce the impact on the environment but the recycling of plastic products requires several undesirable steps including transportation to the recycling plant, use of energy for the recycling process as well as the production of residual waste due to contamination in the feedstock stream. Some efforts have also been made in the past to reduce the amount of plastic used in disposable bottles.
Reuse is a solution more desirable than waste disposal or recycling because of lower energy requirements, especially if the location of re-use is close to the location of the primary use. Reusable plastic bottles exist, but meet limited success in terms of volume on the market compared to disposable plastic bottles.
Most bottles available on the market do not have the attributes to encourage reuse. The key to optimize the reuse of plastic bottles is to facilitate the assembly of the bottles into larger structures that can be used in everyday life. A standard plastic bottle is generally cylindrical, has one opening at the top of the bottle and is closed by a removable cap. As such, it does not lend itself to assemblies.